Consumer Watchdog is a (fiercely) independent consumer rights and advocacy organisation campaigning on behalf of the consumers of Botswana, helping them to know their rights and to stand up against abuse. Contact us at watchdog@bes.bw, call us on +267 3904582 or find us on Facebook by searching for Consumer Watchdog Botswana. Everything we do for the consumers of Botswana has always been and always will be entirely free.

Saturday, 9 April 2016

The Voice - Consumer's Voice

Can it cost this much?

I would like to know who regulates the pricing of re printing of IGCSE Certificates? My nephew went to a private school doing his IGCSE. He happened to have lost his certificate. We went to the school last week and they are saying for them to reprint a new certificate is P2,500. I feel this is too much and daylight robbery as the ink and paper used cant even be more than P500.

I mean at Botswana Examination Council for you to get a copy is P50. I know it’s a different organisation but I still feel P2,500 is a lot of money to part ways with.

I would really appreciate it if you could look into the matter and make a follow up on this issue.

P2,500 does sound like a lot of money for a simple reprint of a certificate but I thought it was worth checking if this can be correct.

I contacted the principal of the school in question and asked him to check this out. He responded saying that he checked with the IGCSE authorities in Cambridge and they told him that it costs £141 to replace a certificate. At the current exchange rate that comes to about P2,200. The school here in Gaborone charges just P100 for their time and effort so I can actually see how the cost might be around the amount they quoted.

It sounds like certifiactes are something you really need to take a lot of care with.

Must I pay her?

Last year in July I borrowed an amount of money from an individual who runs a micro lending business from her institutional house. The total amount of hard cash I borrowed adds up to P23,000. In November last year she sent me a form to sign indicating the total amount plus the interest I owed but the form was bearing a different name and I was told they were business partners. I then asked her stop adding interest because the money was too much. She told me that from that amount she will no longer add interest. So when I finally managed to pay her P46,500 she told me the money was still short by more than P13,700. But when I told her I didn't have money she started insulting me. I then explained to her that what she was doing was against the laws of the country. I told her that the business was not registered, is not paying tax but reaping a lot of money from Batswana cos I am not the only one who paid her such an amount of money. I also told her that she has overcharged me but to her it became like I was fighting with her and threatened to destroy my name. She wanted to consult my pastor and she threatened in SMSs to tell everyone at work why I borrowed the money. What do I do in such case?

The first thing you can do is promise me that you won’t pay her a single thebe more. This woman is clearly operating an illegal moneylending operation. I think it’s safe to assume that anyone who operates like this is an unscrupulous crook. Anyone who submits agreements with the wrong name, charges horrible rates of interest and who harasses people and threatens them with destroying their name deserves investigation.

I’ve already sent her details to NBFIRA, the Non Bank Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority, the organization that regulates micro-lenders in Botswana. They’re also an organization that isn’t afraid to get its hands dirty with unscrupulous crooks like this one.

I’ve also sent her details to BURS so they can check whether she’s paying tax on the foul profits she’s making from you. I guarantee that if she’s treating you this way then she’s reating a lot of other people the same way.

If she threatens you in any way please give her our contact details. Maybe she wants to encounter the only organization scarier than the combination of NBFIRA and BURS. The Voice.

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We support consumers in Botswana, educating them on their rights, helping them to fix problems and exposing scams. Email us at watchdog@bes.bw, or call on +267 3904582 or fax on +267 3911763. It's all free, you've nothing to lose!